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One of the most popular new-gen sports anime and manga series has been author and illustrator Haruichi Furudate’s Haikyu!!, a volleyball-centric tale focused on Shoyo Hinata. The series follows Hinata as he strives to become a great volleyball player, with the series beginning with him in middle school and following him through adulthood.
Although Hinata is well-liked, one of the most popular characters is antagonist Toru Oikawa, who serves as one of Hinata's major roadblocks on his personal path in Haikyu!!. Oikawa is a fan favorite, especially now that his role as the series' main antagonist is over.
Japanese voice actor Daisuke Namikawa does an excellent job with the role and may have a voice that sounds similar to many anime fans. Here are 8 anime characters who share voices with Haikyu!!’s Toru Oikawa.
Bleach’s Ulquiorra Cifer, One Piece’s Eustass Kid, and 6 other anime characters who share voices with Haikyu!!’s Toru Oikawa
1) Gantz’s Kei Kurono
Kei Kurono serves as the main protagonist in 2004’s Gantz anime series, with Namikawa having played the role long before taking on Haikyu!!’s Toru Oikawa. Characterized in the anime as a selfish, hesitant, and reckless person, fans see this begin to change in the final canonical episodes of the anime series.
Unfortunately, the series was never renewed for a second season, meaning Namikawa never got to reprise the role. While several Gantz projects have come out since, Namikawa hasn’t reprised his role for any of them.
2) Bleach’s Ulquiorra Cifer
One role that Namikawa did get to play to completion was Bleach’s Ulquiorra Cifer. Despite being a much different character from Haikyu!!’s Toru Oikawa, both roles are excellently played by Namikawa, with the differences between the two showing his range as an actor.
Ulquiorra is portrayed as a loyal, calm, and level-headed soldier of Sosuke Aizen's, and is ranked as the series' fourth strongest arrancar. While Oikawa is a fiery and effervescent character, playing Ulquiorra requires a more calm and precise acting style. Namikawa plays both roles exceptionally well.
3) One Piece’s Eustass Kid
Finding his way into two of the Big Three’s anime adaptations, Namikawa plays Eustass Kid in the smash-hit One Piece anime series. While the role is similar to Haikyu!!’s Toru Oikawa, there are some key differences, particularly in Kid's personality and mannerisms.
The two share a similar intensity, but playing Kid practically demands that intensity be on at all times, whereas Oikawa is seen as capable of being more relaxed than he naturally is. When Oikawa turns on the intensity, however, the similarities in performances can be heard by even untrained ears.
4) Hunter x Hunter’s Hisoka Morow
Madhouse’s 2011 remake of the Hunter x Hunter anime series saw the adaptation team cast Namikawa as the incredibly popular villain, Hisoka Morow. Arguably one of Namikawa’s biggest roles, Hisoka is a fan-favorite who is a constant and ever-relevant force in the series, even in the manga’s current Succession Contest arc.
Hisoka and Oikawa are both eccentric roles to play, but in very different ways. However, they do share some traits, including a love of good competition, the ability to be extremely flamboyant at times, and the need for a certain type of overthe-top personality to play. Namikawa excels at both roles, despite the key differences between the characters.
5) Tokyo Ghoul’s Kishou Arima
Tokyo Ghoul’s Kishou Arima is a Special Class Ghoul Investigator, formerly known as the “CCG’s Reaper.” His other monikers included the White Reaper and the mysterious One-Eyed King, who was considered the de facto, even mythological, leader of Ghoulkind. Namikawa plays the role excellently, which requires a delicate touch, unlike Haikyu!!’s Toru Oikawa.
Nevertheless, Namikawa plays both roles quite well, especially as Arima during the events of Tokyo Ghoul:re, where he secretly plays mentor to protagonist Ken Kaneki. It’s an incredibly unique role for Namikawa, who rarely gets to play reserved characters. In fact, there’s only one other role on this list for Namikawa that can truly be called similar to his performance as Arima.
6) Parasyte’s Miki
Parasyte fans may remember Miki as the prototype Gotou, also having 5 parasites in his 1 body, but only being able to control 3 of them. Miki also comes off as goofy with a serious side, making him very similar in personality, and in how Namikawa plays him, to Haikyu!!’s Toru Oikawa.
One key difference is that Miki seems to completely compartmentalize the two sides of his personality, whereas Oikawa sees them blend together, especially in the middle of a game. Namikawa does an excellent job of differentiating the two in this key manner via his portrayal of each.
7) Black Clover’s Jack the Ripper
Black Clover’s Jack the Ripper is played by Namikawa in a manner similar to his performance as One Piece’s Eustass Kid, which only cranked up to 11. For as calm as Namikawa can portray Toru Oikawa in Haikyu!!, he portrays Jack as being just as eccentric and bloodthirsty, delivering a truly psychotic performance.
It’s an especially exciting role to see Namikawa in because he so rarely gets to play this archetype of character. While Eustass Kid is similar, he’s the training wheel equivalent of Namikawa’s performance as Jack in Black Clover.
8) Jujutsu Kaisen’s Choso
Finally, Jujutsu Kaisen’s Choso offers Namikawa the opportunity to play an incredibly serious, cool, calm, and collected role. While Choso has only been seen in the closing episode of the series’ first season so far, he’ll play a major role in the anime’s upcoming second season and those beyond it. It’s a role that’s very different from Haikyu!!’s Toru Oikawa, but Namikawa is able to play both exceptionally well.
Fans may see some similarities between the two, especially as it relates to Oikawa’s cooler side. However, more similarities undoubtedly exist between his performance as Choso and Tokyo Ghoul’s Kishou Arima. Both characters are incredibly serious and reserved, with essentially the only real difference between the two being that Arima is in a position of leadership and must act accordingly.
